Title: "Luka Loves…"
Author: Veritas Found
Characters/Pairings: Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Rating: K Plus / PG / Most Ages
Summary: Marinette never meant for Luka to find the list of things he loves that she'd been making while brainstorming ideas for his birthday present, but when Luka does he's surprised to find the one thing he loves most is nowhere to be found on it. He has to fix that.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes/Warnings: So Fen had this plunny/prompt idea that I totally misread, and it turned into this. I don't know if it counts as a Dammit Fen or Dammit Me. xD Did this sprint style because I didn't need another plunny t'way with ye. (Aaaand I've been writing too much Winters stuff lately. I almost forgot to post this to the Pit. Oops. xD)
"Luka Loves…"
Marinette tapped her pen absently against her cheek, a frown turning her lips as she stared at the calendar on her wall. A date about two weeks out was circled with a big, blue heart. To really drive the point home, a little cake in blue and black was scribbled in the box, too.
Luka had a birthday coming up.
His eighteenth birthday, to be precise.
And she had no idea what to get him.
"Tikki," she sighed, tipping her head back and staring despondently at her ceiling, "I might be in trouble."
The tiny kwami looked up from where she was nibbling on a cookie on Marinette's desk.
"You're overthinking this, Marinette," she said with all the patience of a god – or at least a god that had been dealing with Marinette's little panic-driven overthinking episodes for the better part of three years. "He's going to absolutely love whatever you get him just because you're the one giving it to him."
"But he deserves something good!" Marinette cried, jolting up in her seat with a flailing of limbs. The chair slid back from the desk and wobbled when it caught on her rug, and Tikki giggled as that only made Marinette flail again. "Something…something…"
She trailed off as Tikki turned, jostling her mouse, and her desktop woke up. The Adrien Wallpaper had long been replaced. Her current background was a photo from last fall, taken not long after she had started at Sant-Saëns. The photo was of her and her new friends, taken out by the fountain on one of the last really nice days of 'summer'. She stood in the center, Luka behind her with his smiling face pressed next to hers and his arms around her shoulders, her hands holding onto them. Rose's arms were around her middle, a wide smile on her face, and Juleka stood beside her with an elbow propped on her head. On Marinette's other side, Brielle was shoving Dingo out of the frame (you could barely see his annoyed eyebrows furrowing over his sunglasses – really the only part of him that was in the photo was his mohawk) with one arm while the other held her phone out to take the picture.
She had a lot of photos with her new friends now, but that particular photo was still one of her favorites. It had been her wallpaper for a long time. A blue heart was even doodled around Luka's head. Her smile warmed as she stared at the heart – at the person it encircled.
"Something special," she finally said. Tikki giggled as Marinette reached out to touch her screen, and Marinette rolled her eyes fondly at her kwami. "It's just…he's special, Tikki. So I want to give him something special, too. Something he'll love."
"And I'm telling you, Marinette," Tikki said, finishing off her cookie, "he will love anything you give him. He loves –"
Marinette tapped her fist against her palm, her face lighting up in delight.
"That's it! That's what I need!" she said, cutting Tikki off. Tikki sighed and reached for another cookie. Her holder could be so stubborn sometimes… "A list! That will help me figure this out!"
"A list?" Tikki asked, her head tilting to the side. Marinette nodded, already reaching for a sheet of paper. "A list of what?"
"A list of things Luka loves," Marinette said, writing just that in big, swooping letters at the top of her page. Tikki looked unconvinced. "Once it's all written out in front of me, I'm sure I'll figure it out. You know how visual I am – this is just what I need!"
Marinette was something, all right, Tikki couldn't help but think.
She moved to hover over the paper, still nibbling on a cookie. Marinette absently batted her back when crumbs dropped onto her hand. Tikki frowned as she read the list.
Luka loves…
1. Music!
2. His family/friends
3. Toasted marshmallow macarons (sweet?)
4. Blue raspberry ice cream (sour/tart? Picnic?)
5. Layers (shirt/hoodie/jacket – something warm?)
6. Blue (hair/jacket)
7. Stickers!
8. Biking (custom helmet? STICKERS! SHOES!)
9. Board games (tabletops)
10. Movie night (blanket?)
Marinette paused, tapping her pen against her chin.
"That could work, actually…" she murmured. "That blanket is pretty ratty…"
And it was barely big enough for one person. When Luka had offered to share it with her during their last movie night, they'd had to squish together to stay warm. Not that she minded, but surely Luka wouldn't mind a bigger, warmer blanket that gave him more room…?
"Marinette?" Tikki asked, but before she could answer her mom was calling her downstairs. She dropped her pen, pushed away from the desk, and went to see what Sabine wanted. Tikki looked back at the list, absently nibbling on her cookie.
It seemed, to Tikki, there was one really big – really obvious – thing that Luka Loved, but it was nowhere to be found on Marinette's list…
– V –
Luka checked his phone as he hopped off his bike. Marinette still hadn't answered his text, but he wasn't worried – sometimes she got too in the zone and didn't reply for a while. He was guilty of the same thing at times. He stashed his helmet in the basket and left the bike by the bakery door before heading inside.
"Luka!" Tom greeted, waving from behind the register.
"Hey, Tom," he said, looking around as Tom finished with a customer. He nodded with a smile at the older woman as she passed him on her way out, and then he walked up to the counter.
"Here for Marinette?" Tom asked before he could say anything else, a knowing smile under his bushy mustache. Luka smiled and nodded.
"A few of us were going to catch a movie," he said. "I texted her about it, but she hasn't answered yet. Figured she's busy with a project, but I was still hoping she'd want to go."
"I'm sure she could use the break," Tom chuckled. "She's been at it most of the morning. Apparently, someone has a birthday coming up, and she…" Tom's eyes widened, and his mouth snapped shut. Luka tried not to grin. "…was…I said nothing, you heard nothing, you know the way. Go on – get."
Luka laughed as he walked past Tom and headed towards the back staircase that would take him upstairs.
"I heard nothing," he said. He paused on the bottom step, sending the older man a smile over his shoulder. "Thanks, Tom."
"For what?" Tom asked, winking. "I didn't say or do anything, remember?"
Nobody answered the door when Luka knocked, but that wasn't entirely unusual, either. He hadn't seen Sabine downstairs, but it was likely she'd been in the walk-in or running something out to the dumpster. It was just as likely Marinette was up in her room and couldn't hear his knock over her sewing machine (or the music she no doubt had playing to keep her in the zone). None of this was unusual, and as Tom had told him to go on get (and Luka was over there about as much as Marinette was over on the boat these days) Luka had no problem walking right in.
"Marinette?" he called, but there was still no answer. He couldn't hear music coming from her room, and he wondered if she had headphones in. He waited a moment after knocking before popping his head through her trapdoor. "Marinette?"
The room was empty.
He frowned as he climbed in, taking a look around. Her computer was still awake, and light music – some radio station – was playing from the stereo in the corner. There was even a mug of tea cooling on her desk, next to a half-eaten plate of chocolate chip cookies. All signs she had been here recently. He sat down in her desk chair and slumped forward, his elbows on his knees, and pulled his phone back out. Noticing there was still no reply (but that there was a message from Brielle letting him know the next showing was sold out and they'd have to meet later), he decided to wait.
He'd been sitting there for a few minutes – still with no sign of Marinette – before he started fidgeting. It started with a tapping foot and twisting his ring, and then he was drumming out an absent beat on his shins. And then he started spinning in her chair.
It was on the third or fourth spin when he noticed what she'd been working on.
He stopped mid-spin, his back to the desk, when the words Luka Loves registered in his brain. He looked over his shoulder, certain he hadn't read that right, but sure enough the words Luka loves… were written over what looked to be a list of…things he loved? Or at least liked?
He wouldn't say he loved stickers. He just…didn't have a lot of artistic ability (at least in the drawing department – not like Marinette), and stickers made decorating things easier. He just didn't like plain things.
He rolled the chair closer to the desk, frowning as he read the list again. Music, family and friends, toasted marshmallow macarons and blue raspberry ice cream…it was true. He loved everything on that list, but…where was Marinette? He supposed she could fall under 'family and friends', but it was…different. He loved the Captain and Jules like any loyal son or good brother would. He loved Dingo and Bri – they'd been his best friends for years. He loved Marinette, though.
Didn't she realize that?
He reached for her pen and started scribbling some notes on her list.
1. Music! Marinette 3
2. His family/friends
3. Toasted marshmallow macarons (sweet?) they're delicious you make the BEST!
4. Blue raspberry ice cream (sour/tart? Picnic?) that would be fun :)
5. Layers (shirt/hoodie/jacket – something warm?) the river gets cold!
6. Blue (hair/jacket)
7. Stickers! …I can't draw like you :(
8. Biking (custom helmet? STICKERS! SHOES!) need one for you too?
9. Board games (tabletops) actually we need another board game night soon
10. Movie night (blanket?) THE RIVER IS COLD
He thought for a moment before drawing an arrow from the top item and adding: I do love music, but I love you more (you're #1).
There was a soft giggling, and he looked up, fully expecting to see Marinette behind him. He frowned when the room was still empty. He would have sworn…he shook his head and looked back to the paper, tapping the pen against the desk as he thought. After a moment, he smiled and kept writing, adding a second list below her own.
Marinette loves…
1. Fashion (crazy talented)
2. Family/Friends (biggest heart I know)
3. Flowers
4. Jagged Stone
5. Glitter (like so much glitter)
6. Strawberries (in like everything)
7. Paris (the city, its people – everything)
8. What's right (seriously her heart is so big)
9. Bike rides (upgrading – you're gonna love your helmet)
10. …Luk
He was halfway through writing his own name when a startled squeak came from behind him.
"Luka!" Marinette cried. He spun around in the chair, an easy smile on his face despite the panicked look on hers. She was halfway into the room, frozen to the spot as she gawked at him. "What…you…doing…I mean hi!"
"Hey, Ma-Ma-Marinette," he laughed. She rolled her eyes as she walked over to him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, stopping before him with her hands on her hips. She glanced nervously behind him, but otherwise seemed…impassive. He smiled and waved his phone at her.
"I did try texting first," he said, and she winced a little guiltily, "but you didn't answer. Movie this afternoon? Bri's getting tickets. I thought you could use a break."
"I…was working on something, yeah," she said, fidgeting, "but I could use a break, I guess. I kinda hit a wall anyway."
"I noticed," he said, and she froze. She glanced around him and saw the paper was exactly where she had left it on her desk.
Well.
Not exactly.
Because there were now notes on it.
And another list to boot.
She squeaked and dove at him, and he grunted as she tumbled into him in her attempt to reach the paper. The chair rolled back and crashed into the desk, rattling it ominously, and his arms automatically wrapped around her to keep her from falling. Her elbows dug into his shoulders as she held the paper up, her eyebrows soaring as she read over her edited list.
"Luka…" she whispered. He tightened his arms around her and turned his head, pressing his forehead against her neck. She squirmed a little, and he held her closer. "That's…that's not funny, Luka."
"You're right," he said, lifting his head to kiss her cheek. She swallowed as he rested his head against hers. "You totally forgot tacos. I love tacos."
He chuckled as she leaned back, settling on his lap as she read over his list. Her face was on fire, the blush so bad he could feel the heat emanating from her cheeks. She pouted as she looked up at him.
"W-well, your list isn't much better!" she huffed. She held it up and pointed to the bottom. "Luka should be number one on mine, too!"
His smile felt like it was going to break his face. He was pretty sure it mirrored her own.
"You mean that, Marinette?" he asked softly, the sound of his voice feeling too loud in the sudden quiet between them. She wondered if he could hear her heart thundering away inside her. She nodded, and he chuckled as he pulled her closer and ducked his head against her shoulder. "Ok. Forget the movie. Can I just stay here with you for a bit?"
Her answering giggle was nervous, but it sounded like music to his ears.
"I…I think I'd like that," she said. One of her hands had found its way into his hair, and he smiled as she started combing her fingers through it. "It's not going to get your birthday present made, though."
"Agree to go on a date with me and we'll call it good," he said, only half-kidding. "Best birthday present ever."
"Dork," she murmured, rolling her eyes. He lifted his head and gave her a hopeful smile.
"Yeah," he said, nodding, "but your dork, right?"
She bit her lip, her breath hitching, and it took everything in him not to kiss her.
"Y-yeah," she finally said, and his heart felt like it could burst at the confirmation. "My dork."
…screw it. He pulled her towards him and kissed her anyway.
(It was a few hours before he remembered to text Brielle that they wouldn't be able to make the movie. When he told her he'd taken Marinette out on a date instead, she was slightly less annoyed.
She still made him buy her lunch for a week, though. Movie tickets had gotten expensive.)